Volunteer organization SaskTel Pioneers has donated $500 to the Moose Jaw and District Regional Heritage Fair to ensure area students can continue to showcase projects about local, provincial and national history.
Pioneers’ spokesman Kristian Sjoberg presented the cheque to heritage fair committee representatives Heather Rauscher (chairwoman) and Katherine Munro on March 6 at the Western Development Museum, where the regional fair is scheduled to occur on April 30.
It’s a great feeling to receive this support, especially since the heritage fair appreciates all the help its sponsors provide, said Rauscher. The donations allow the committee to plan a great day for the students, along with field trips and workshops.
“The heritage fair is an opportunity for students in grades 4 to 8 to create a project based on one aspect of Canadian heritage,” Rauscher continued. The project could focus on a person, place or thing.
More than 500 students in 11 schools from Moose Jaw and area participated in fairs at the school level this year. Sixty students were chosen to compete at the regional fair on April 30. From there, several lucky students will attend the provincial showcase in Regina in June.
The Pioneers donate to almost anything in the community, especially if it’s education-related, explained Sjoberg, who never competed in a heritage fair in school but did help neighbours restore a plane that now sits in the WDM. Providing the donation allows the organization to give back to kids’ education; this is similar to the group’s donation of books last year.
The Pioneers intends to create a new lunch program at SaskTel’s Ominica Street office, where students can learn about the phone system, internet and related infrastructure.
If people don’t learn from the past they will be doomed to repeat it, Sjoberg said. If society can teach students to avoid the “foibles” made by past ancestors, or even teach them about successes such as making bread, that will serve them well in the future.
“All these historical things that are getting lost as the generations go by, it’s nice to see kids interested in that,” he added.
What Rauscher enjoys about the regional heritage fair is the students’ enthusiasm for their projects. They are excited to share what they’ve learned about their project since they had to conduct plenty of research beforehand. This includes putting together a display and writing an essay, which helps them become knowledgeable about their topic.
“So many kids leave here and they’re already coming up with ideas for next year’s heritage fair,” she said. “That’s really special and shows how involved they become in their topics and how much learning really goes on.”
One project that stood out to Munro during the last 10 years was of a young girl who created a project looking at the daily life of pioneers. The Grade 4 student was quiet during her school heritage fair and afraid of public speaking, but when she made it to regionals, she opened up a little more and became more confident. She then flourished once she reached provincials.
“When I think of someone who has benefited from the heritage fair — and you can see how great an experience it is — I always think of that one girl,” Munro said, adding the girl later returned to volunteer at the regional fair once she aged out.
